17 • Bullying is Only Okay When It's Coming From Your Friends

                                    

                                          
   "Link! There you are. Slippery bastard you are," Teba shouted from his place at the table. Yunobo, Riju, Bazz, and Gaddison all sat around him, drinking and laughing amongst themselves. 
     I came over, Yunobo grabbing a chair for me, which I took with a nod. Gaddison sat forward now, a devilish grin on her face. "So Lady Riju here was telling us how you snuck into Gerudo Town. Y'know, the town where only women can enter," she teased. 
     Riju laughed a little. "Usually we would have cast him out, yet he managed to convince everyone. He also helped me take Naboris, so I think I can turn a blind eye to his coming and goings," she said, fiddling with a stray strand of her hair. 
     Gaddison laughed, and Teba chuckled a little. "That's impressive, even for you Link," Teba laughed, clapping me on the back. 
     I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck. "Yeah, but I had to," I laughed sheepishly. 
     Yunobo sat forward a little now. "Hey lil buddy, why didn't you tell me the prince was your partner? I feel like a total rock head now," he said with a small laugh. 
     I shot a murderous look at Gaddison, who was smiling devilishly from her place beside Yunobo. I laughed a little. "Well, we weren't telling anyone, but Gaddison... uh," I faded off, not really wanting to finish that sentence. 
     "I found them a little... preoccupied," she laughed, finishing my sentence for me. 
     I just shot her another look as Teba barked out a laugh and Yunobo let out a nervous chuckle. Riju tapped her chin with her finger. "You know, Link, after encountering you a few times and watching your... antics out in the desert, I never expected you to find your way into royalty," she laughed, dropping the feigned serious tone somewhere in the middle. 
      "He's finding his way into royalty alright," I heard Gaddison mumble to Bazz, who started laughing. 
     Yunobo was looking rather uncomfortable again. "Didn't he say he knew Daruk? How old is he?" He asked, glancing back to where Sidon sat with his father at the head of the room. 
     That's a good question. "I don't know exactly, I just know he was a kid a hundred years ago, and then got like that while I was in the shrine," I laughed, motioning in Sidon's vague direction. 
     "You can say hot," Bazz chimed in, making Gaddison bark out a laugh. 
     I gave him a look. "Yeah, sure."
     Gaddison managed to get herself under control. "Seriously, he has a fan club. Like I don't know how you did it, Linny," she said before beginning to laugh again. 
     Bazz nodded. "He could proposition anyone in the domain but he went for the guy that I've definitely seen catch a live fish in his mouth before like a bear," he laughed, which sent Gaddison into a deeper fit. 
    Teba gave me a look before he began laughing as well. I crossed my arms. "Wow that's so nice of you two. And here I thought we were friends," I said with feigned anger. 
     Gaddison wiped a tear from her eye. "We are friends, and we're very happy for you but like you have to admit the situation," she managed. 
     I sighed, shaking my head as the grin I had been fighting rose to my lips. "Yeah, okay fair enough."
     We fell into another conversation then, and time passed in a blur as soon Sidon came up behind me, putting a gentle hand on my shoulder. 
     Everyone looked up at him, and soon Gaddison and Bazz were lost to their giggling again. Sidon gave them strange look. "What were you all talking about?" He asked, a polite smile on his face. 
     "You," Teba answered as Gaddison and Bazz were too far gone to answer. 
     Sidon looked a little surprised for a moment before his smile was back. "Oh, all good things I hope," he joked as he squeezed my shoulder a little. 
      "That was when they weren't picking on me," I joked, motioning for Sidon to sit with us. He laughed, sitting beside me and leaning his arm around the back of my chair. He seemed to not want to be bothered by decorum anymore. 
      Teba leaned forward. "You knew the champions?" He asked Sidon, who had an unreadable expression after the question. 
      "I did. I can't remember much because I was a child, not yet old enough to swim up waterfalls then," he said, on the hand resting on his lap his fingers tapped at his thigh. 
      Teba tilted his head a little, clearly a little confused about Sidon's analogy. "That's crazy. Sorry if it's a sensitive topic," he added, clearly catching on to Sidon's sudden tenseness. 
      He smiled a little, waving his hand. "It's alright. I understand your curiosity. Us zora live lengthy lives so we witness a lot of changes in the grand scheme of Hyrule," he mused, looking to Gaddison and Bazz, who were nodding in agreement. 
      Gaddison sat forward now. "And that's how we know how much of a prick Revali was. Seriously Teba," she said, almost spilling her drink as she motioned dramatically. 
       Teba looked almost offended. "He couldn't have been that bad. He was beloved in our village."
      I heard Gaddison shoot something back, but I wasn't really paying attention anymore. I was watching Sidon as he took a deep drink from his glass. He caught me looking, and leaned down to my level, a questioning look on his face. 
      'Are you okay?' I signed. 
      Sidon gave me a small smile. "Worried about me, are you?" He joked, his eyes betraying whatever nonchalant air he was trying to put on. 
       I raised my eyebrows at him. "You're going to judge? Seriously, Sidon," I said quietly, making sure that no one else could hear me. 
      He sighed a little, his smile growing more warm. "I'm okay, really. Just caught me off guard," he said back quietly, his hand reaching to squeeze my shoulder a little. 
      I sighed. "Alright, just l-"
      "Get a room," Gaddison called, making Sidon and I jump away from each other almost guiltily.  
       This made most of my assembled friends break out into laughter. Sidon shook his head, laughing a little too. "You're loving picking on us, huh Gaddison," he said, his voice almost warning. 
      Gaddison froze, then barked out a laugh. "Was that a threat, prince?" She asked with a devilish grin. 
      Sidon shrugged. "Just saying. Though, you never know what I might let slip, I've had a fair bit of wine," Sidon said back, an equally as evil grin spread across his face as he swirled his wine in his cup. 
      I started laughing now. "You two are awful. I see wine makes you both more dramatic," I teased, elbowing Sidon lightly. 
      They both laughed, Sidon leaning down towards me a little. "She started it," he joked. I rolled my eyes, shoving him a bit.